"In the field of economic development, economists like to think western economics is value-neutral, but the fact is, it is not. What does the finance system tell us about function and form, about our very values, when the same system pays a merger acquisitionist millions of dollars and a teacher $40,000? The Cartesian reductionist approach defined success according to production units or monetary worth. The contrast with successful Indigenous development is stark.
For example, because the Northern Cheyenne understand the environment to be a living being, they have opposed coal strip mining on their reservation because it kills the water beings. There are no cost measurements of pollution, production, or other elements that can capture this kind of impact. There is an emerging recognition of the need for a spiritual base, not only in our individual lives, but also in our work and in our communities. Perfect harmony and balance with the laws of the universe means that we all know that the way of life is found by protecting the water beings. The Indigenous understanding has its basis of spirituality and recognition of the interconnectedness and interdependence of all living things - a holistic and balanced view of the world. All things are bound together, all things connect.
As the famous quote by Chief Seattle states, "What happens to the earth, happens to the children of the earth. Humankind has not woven the web of life. We are but one thread. Whatever we do to the web, we do to ourselves." The environment is perceived as a sensate, conscious entity suffused with spiritual powers through which the human understanding is only realized in perfect humility before the sacred whole. The Hopi express this concept of being and harmony and balance with the laws of nature at Novoiti. The Tlingit refer to is as Shogan." (pg.33-34)
This quote is part of a presentation given by Adamson at a Bioneers conference in which numerous indigenous people presented their perspectives on issues of nature, governance, women's issues, food, sustainability, spirituality and culture. This book is highly recommended by this writer to anyone who is even remotely interested in creating and/or supporting progressive human development and a continued presence of healthy and sustainable human life and society on Earth.
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"Original Instructions: Indigenous Teachings for a Sustainable Future", Melissa K. Nelson, Editor, Bear and Company, Rochester, Vermont, 2008
Perhaps we could reach the people who are so very concerned about the right to human life with that argument. It is not the few cells that worry them, but the soul that may be attached to them. There are so many, they could be a valuable ally.
ReplyDeleteAnd this is the purpose of sharing this story. It has been my contention, and not singularly so, that if we are to shift the tide of environmental sanctity, human health and communal harmony, that we must not only engage the Spirit in Nature, but also Spirit in ourselves, in our communities. The environmental movement has to find its spirit and that Spirit in its work, in its ends and means, in Nature itself. Our indigenous souls are one with Spirit in Nature and to activate that relationship will be the turning point that we are seeking. Our personal health and well being, our very lives are dependent upon that shift, that turning point. The right to human life is deeply connected here.
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